Against the Heavens
by Breaker12
Summary: A boy gets rescued from the clutches of an insane cultivator. Years later, under the guidance of the man who saved him, the boy takes his first step into the world of cultivators. At the time, nobody could have foreseen the heights he'd reach—or the disruptions he'd cause.
1. Prologue

****Disclaimer:**** I don't own Against the Gods, Martial God Asura, I Shall Seal the Heavens, Martial World, or any other series/novel/story that may appear in this story. They all belong to their respective owners.

**A/N: **This the rewritten version of Defying the Heavens.

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**Prologue**

* * *

Zhang Yong stood before a man he had once called a friend. He looked to his left, and saw, chained to the cavern walls, man and women, skeletal and withered; to his right, cauldrons, bottles of pills, and a pile of shriveled corpses. Finally, he slowly returned his gaze to the man who sat before him.

Zhang Yong took in a deep breath and then sighed. "I didn't expect this from you, Wei. Not after all we've been through."

Li Wei chuckled—a dry, grating sound. He sat on a simple wooden chair, clad in a black robe. He had changed in the eight years they hadn't seen each other. Li Wei, who had once been tall and muscular, was now thin, emaciated, feeble. Dark and purple specks marred a face that had often been called handsome in the past, circling his dark, cloudy eyes.

"I had no choice," Li Wei said, shaking his head. "I'm not like you. I don't have your talent, your potential. I had to seek other paths."

"Other paths?" Zhang Yong's eyes narrowed. "Is that your new euphemism for taking the lives of mortals?"

"You don't understand." Li Wei stood up from his chair, incensed. "You've never had a bottleneck, Zhang Yong. You didn't feel the frustration I felt. You didn't—"

"You're the one who doesn't understand!" Zhang Yong roared, cutting his old friend short. He stepped forward and spread his arms wide. "Look around you, you bastard! You're turning mortals into cauldrons! Cauldrons! You've become exactly what we fought against: a damn monster!"

"I had no choice!" Li Wei cried back. "I couldn't progress any further. I had exhausted my potential; there had been no other way!"

"It doesn't matter." A sword appeared in Zhang Yong's hand. He shook his head, a look of resolution on his face. "You should have never killed innocents."

"I did what I had to," Li Wei said, summoning his own sword. He stayed where he was. "We don't have to do this, Zhang Yong. Turn back. Pretend this never happened. I don't want to fight you. Not you."

"Do you think _I _want to?" Zhang Yong scoffed. "I'm the Lord of Azure Tiger City now. You're in my domain. It is my duty to kill you." He stepped forward. "And, even if I wasn't, I'd still do this. You've gone too far, Li Wei. As your friend, it's my duty to bring an end to your madness."

"So be it."

Li Wei suddenly vanished before appearing right in front of Zhang Yong. He stepped in, his sword swinging at Zhang Yong just below the ribs on his right side. The City Lord evaded him with ease and stabbed at Li Wei's stomach. The fallen cultivator parried the blow and jumped backward, putting up some distance between them.

"You've gotten better, Zhang Yong," Li Wei said.

"I'm afraid I can't say the same about you." Zhang Yong raised his sword so Li Wei could clearly see it; blood was dripping from the blade.

"What…?" The fallen cultivator started; he looked down and saw that there was a bloodied tear on his robe, near the ribs. "Impossible! When did you—"

Zhang Yong's blade struck Li Wei's shoulder. Li Wei wailed; he quickly used his true essence to pull himself away, evading the City Lord's next attack.

Zhang Yong pursued him. Channeling true essence into his feet, he kicked against the ground, propelling himself forward. While Li Wei attempted to regain his balance, Zhang Yong reached him; his sword stabbed through Li Wei's chest. Without stopping, Zhang Yong kept channeling true essence into his attack, only stopping once they reached one of the walls of the cavern. His sword, still stuck in Li Wei's chest, pierced through the wall.

He let go of his sword and stepped back; trembling, Li Wei looked down at the handle of the sword poking out of his chest. He looked up, blood dripping down his lips, and smiled sadly. "I guess that's it, then."

Zhang Yong said nothing. He stared coldly at the man he had once called a friend and then turned around, walking up to the shriveled people that were chained to the wall. He checked their condition; Li Wei had completely drained them of their vitality—there was nothing that could be done.

He ground his teeth. After a moment of hesitation, he called forth another one of his swords and cut off their heads with one swift slash.

"I… I guess you're pretty mad at me right now," Li Wei said, coughing up blood.

Zhang Yong closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and then sighed. "Is there anyone else, Li Wei?"

"No," Li Wei said. He smirked feebly. "Good for you, eh?"

"Shut it." Zhang Yong walked back to the fallen cultivation. He raised his sword, about to deal the finishing blood, when a cry came from somewhere in the back of the cave.

Zhang Yong started; Li Wei paled.

"Oh no."

Frowning, the City Lord lowered his sword. He glared at Li Wei, who refused to meet his eyes. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Li Wei said. "Just the wind."

Sending him a warning look, Zhang Yong started walking toward the back of the cave. It was empty. Just as he was about to turn back, he caught sight of a small paper talisman on the floor. "A concealment formation?"

Without hesitation, he slashed the talisman apart. Before him, the air rippled; a small altar appeared, with a child on top of it, completely chained.

"A boy?" Zhang Yong looked at the child. He was covered in numerous bruises, old and new, with several scars running through the length of his body. He was dangerously thin, almost as much as the withered human cauldrons he had just killed.

Zhang Yong could tell that the boy hadn't been used as a cauldron yet. He looked back at Li Wei, who was staring at him in terror.

"What's the meaning of this?" the City Lord demanded.

"Zhang Yong, listen to me," Li Wei. "I know what you're thinking, but calm down. Do _not _unchain that boy. Do _not—"_

"You tortured this child," Zhang Yong spat, incensed. He almost couldn't hold in his anger. He was having trouble wrapping his head around how low the man that had once been his friend had fallen. "You _tortured _him." Turning people into cauldrons was one thing. At least he could understand why Li Wei had done it; essentially, it was a method to advance one's cultivation, even if it was an evil one. Torturing children, however, couldn't be justified.

"Zhang Yong, please." All the color drained from his face; a pool of blood had formed below him. "This is the last thing I'll ever ask of you. Get away from that boy."

"You're insane." The City Lord shook his head. He crouched down and inspected the child's chains. Seeing that they were rather strong, he gripped his sword and began to break them.

"STOP!" Li Wei cried, coughing even more blood. "Zhang Yong, don't! You have no idea what you're doing! You must _not_ free that boy! He isn't what you think he is!"

Zhang Yong ignored him. One by one, he broke the chains.

Li Wei was howling now. "Zhang Yong, listen to me! Please! We were friends once! Trust me, you don't want to free him!"

Another chain was broken.

"Zhang Yong! I'm serious. You're making a mistake. That boy can't be freed!"

Now only a few chains remained. Li Wei's despair only grew. "The boy mustn't leave the cave, Zhang Yong! You aren't saving a child—you're dooming the whole damn world! Kill me if you want. Torture me if you want. I'll even be your slave if you want, but don't set that _thing _free. You must seal him, seal the cave, and leave this place. Please."

"Doom the world?" The City Lord looked up. He glanced back at Li Wei. "You've lost too much blood. You're delirious. After what you've done, you should at least have the decency to die without spewing bullshit."

"Dammit, Zhang Yong! Seven years ago, that night—"

Zhang Yong gathered his true essence and sent a blade of wind in Li Wei's direction; the fallen cultivator's head fell to the side. "Your words are meaningless, Li Wei." Shaking his head, Zhang Yong cut off the boy's last chains and shackles. Unconscious, the boy fell forward; Zhang Yong caught him and took him into his arms.

Without sparing Li Wei another glance, he carried the boy out of the cave.

In his madness, Li Wei had most likely ruined the boy's life. As he was partly responsible for his friend's actions, Zhang Yong decided that it was his job to make amends—he'd take take of the child.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Against the Gods, Martial God Asura, I Shall Seal the Heavens, Martial World, or any other series/novel/story that may appear in this story. They all belong to their respective owners.

**A/N: **I apologize for the delay. From now on, you can expect at least one chapter every week.

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**Chapter 1**

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**I**

As the sun began to rise, a group of five people walked out of the City Lord's residence.

Leading them was a tall, brown-haired man, who wore a simple black robe. A small boy walked beside him; the child wore a similar robe. Following the two were two men in heavy armor and a young, pretty maid.

Their group came to a halt before a large carriage. The man in the lead, who had worn a hard expression up to this point, suddenly turned toward the boy and said, "Yun Hao, if you don't want to go, this is your last chance."

The boy, Yun Hao, shook his head, smiling. "There's really no other choice, Father. I need to join a sect."

"The young master is right," said the maid. "We've been through this several times, Master. The young master can't remain here anymore."

"I know, but..." The man frowned. "No matter how I look at it, sects are nasty places. In some ways, even the army is better. I'm starting to think it may not be a good idea to send a ten-year-old boy there. Maybe if we wait a few years..."

"We've delayed it too much already," the maid said. "If we postpone it any more, considering the young master's condition, he may face problems when cultivating in the future."

Hearing that, the man's frown deepened. "I don't see why he has to cultivate in the first—"

"Father," Yun Hao said, annoyance creeping into his voice. He tugged at the man's clothes, drawing his attention. "Please. I already decided. Also,"—he smiled a cheeky smile—"I really don't think you need to worry about me."

The maid chuckled. "I agree. The young master is _special_, after all."

"City Lord," said one of the escorts, "if we don't leave now, we may not make it in time."

The brown-haired man sighed. "So be it."

The man, the maid and the child climbed onto the carriage, while the guards sat down next to the coach. They departed immediately.

Now that the guards couldn't see them, the City Lord's expression softened. "Hao'er, if you ever come across any problem, make sure to return home immediately. I won't forgive you if you get hurt."

Yun Hao giggled. He also dropped the act now that they were alone. "Come on, Dad. You know that won't happen."

The maid rolled her eyes. "Yun Hao, behave. Although I defended you before, City Lord Zhang Yong's worries aren't entirely baseless. While I may have never been to a sect before, I've certainly heard rumors. You can't let your guard down."

Zhang Yong wasn't even paying attention. "I'm still waiting for you to promise," he said sternly. "Otherwise, I'm stopping the carriage right now."

Seeing his father was serious, Yun Hao settled down. "All right, Dad. I promise."

The maid watched the exchange with a smile on her face. Four years ago, she had been surprised when her master suddenly brought a child home after going on a mission to get rid of a rogue cultivator. What surprised her even more were the changes her master went through. Child-rearing had transformed a man known for his severe brutality into a mother hen.

She had known Yun Hao wasn't a normal child from the very first moment she saw him, when the City Lord walked into the mansion carrying him in his arms. To begin with, considering where her master was returning from, there was no way the child could be normal—at the very least, he had to be in some way connected to the evil cultivator Zhang Yong had killed.

That same day, when her master ordered her to clean the child, her suspicions were confirmed. Zhang Yong, as someone who had lived most of his life in battlefields, was covered in all sorts of scars—she had seen them countless times. The child, however, made her realize what a body covered in scars was_ really_ like. Back then, there hadn't been an inch of his skin that didn't have some kind of mark or wound.

Even now, after five years, she could see the countless thin, white streaks that ran through his face and hands. If he were to take off his robe, she knew she'd see more scar tissue than unblemished skin. Some of those scars were so ghastly she couldn't even begin to imagine what had caused them.

Even after all the time they had been together, she had never managed to gather up the courage to ask how he became that way. Zhang Yong and Yun Hao didn't talk about it, either.

Considering his age, Yun Hao should have been scarred mentally as much, if not more, than he was scarred physically. However, that couldn't have been further from the truth.

Noticing her gaze, Yun Hao glanced at her and smiled sweetly, as if he could tell what she was thinking—as if he wanted to reassure her that everything was all right. She smiled back, but it was a sad smile. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he had gone through—and how he managed to smile despite it.

**II**

Azure Cloud City, their destination, was located at the center of the Azure Province. They would arrive in a couple of hours; had they been riding a normal carriage, it'd probably take days to get there, but the City Lord's carriage was pulled by demonic beasts, which were several times faster.

On their way there, Yun Hao prepared himself. Although he was confident, he knew that his father wasn't wrong; he couldn't let his guard down. His goal was to be accepted into a sect, and for that he needed to stand out. That was why the City Lord was taking him to the Azure Province's Annual Disciple Tournament, where the greatest sects, schools, and cities of the province would compete.

His idea was to win against several opponents in order to draw the attention of the spectating powers. Since he wasn't affiliated with any school or sect, as long as he showed promise, they'd jump at the opportunity to recruit him, or so his father had said. Although he could've gone through the normal process, where he'd enter a sect after going through the entrance exam, neither Yun Hao nor Zhang Yong thought that'd be a good idea. He needed cultivation resources right now, and if he had to start as a normal disciple, it'd take a while before they realized his worth.

"Hao'er," Zhang Yong suddenly said, "remember that you don't need to win. You're only ten years old, and, as if that wasn't enough, you look even younger. You'll be going against people who are several years, if not a decade, older than you, who have been in a sect for as long as you've been alive. Even if you only win a fight or two, that will be more than enough."

Yun Hao nodded his head earnestly. "Don't worry, Dad. If it's dangerous, I'll forfeit on the spot."

Zhang Yong smiled, reassured.

They arrived precisely five hours after they departed. It was almost midday.

As they were about to leave the carriage, his father turned to him and said, "Remember, use every tool at your disposal."

Hearing that, Yun Hao smiled mischievously. A moment later, he took in a deep breath, and his smile disappeared. He hunched his back slightly and adopted a timid, bashful expression. "I-I'm r-ready, D-dad."

The maid rolled her eyes, whereas Zhang Yong chuckled.

Yun Hao suppressed the urge to giggle.

This would be fun.

**III**

"City Lord Zhang?"

A man approached them. They had just left the carriage. Around them were more than a dozen other carriages, most of them just arriving, hailing from all over the province.

Almost everyone there wore long, elegant robes, contrasting with Zhang Yong's and Yun Hao's simple, black attires. The man who approached wore a purple robe. His long hair was tied by a golden hairpin. Following him was a group of handsome young men, all of them wearing similar purple robes, as well as a few guards.

"Ye Chong," Zhang Yong said politely, giving the man a half-bow. "It's been a few years, I believe."

"Why, it really is you!" the man, Ye Chong, called out, increasing his speed. Once he was close, he smiled broadly, placing a hand on Zhang Yong's shoulder. "Brother, it's been so long! I'm so glad you finally accepted my invitation."

"Well, yes," Zhang Yong said, smiling wryly. "I've been rather busy as of late."

Ye Chong smiled. Suddenly they started talking about the past, and Yun Hao learned that this man had been his father's comrade in the army. Considering the man had mentioned an invitation, Yun Hao could tell that Ye Chong was none other than the City Lord of Azure Cloud City.

While they talked, Yun Hao, keeping up the act, stuck close to Zhang Yong, as he noticed that the people who had come with Azure Tiger City's City Lord were staring at him.

Eventually, Ye Chong finally noticed Yun Hao, who was by this point purposefully grabbing onto Zhang Yong's clothes.

"Oh? What's this?" Ye Chong blinked at him. "Zhang Yong, don't tell me you finally got yourself a daughter!"

Yun Hao wasn't surprised. People often mistake him for a girl. He was small for his age, delicate-featured, and wore his hair long. Ye Chong's mistake was reasonable.

Zhang Yong chuckled. "Ye Chong, this Yun Hao." He brought the boy forward. "My adopted son."

"_Son_?" Ye Chong narrowed his eyes. "That's a _boy?_"

Zhang Yong kept laughing, while Yun Hao pouted, faking distress.

"He gets that quite often," he said.

"What a surprise!" Ye Chong exclaimed. "I never expected you to adopt a child. Then again, I would be even more surprised if he was your _actual_ child, considering how bad you are with women." Ye Chong nodded to himself. "Now I see why you finally decided to participate in the tournament. You brought the little one to watch the tournament, right?"

"Not exactly. He'll be participating."

That caught the people from Azure Cloud City by surprise. Ye Chong's eyes went wide. "Participate? How old is he?"

"Ten," Zhang Yong said. Ye Chong frowned, and he added, "Old Friend, you know me better than anyone. I wouldn't have brought my son here if I didn't believe he had a chance."

Ye Chong looked conflicted. After a moment, he sighed. "Well, all right. Considering there's no age restriction, it's not as if I can him from participating in the first place." He looked at Zhang Yong sternly. "However, do keep in mind that, if you don't count your child, the youngest person is over sixteen."

"I know that." Zhang Yong waved him off. "You don't have to worry. Now, shall we go to the stage?"

Ye Chong shook his head helplessly. He sent Yun Hao a worried glance before he led their group over to the stage.

As they walked, the two purple-clothed youths that had come with Ye Chong moved closer to Yun Hao.

"Little Bro," one of them said, "are you really sure that you want to participate? You may get hurt."

Yun Hao started. "I-I think I'll be f-fine," he said, stuttering.

Their expressions softened.

"Little Bro, don't be afraid to forfeit the moment you're about to get hurt. I'll be sure to interrupt the match for you."

"That's right, Little Bro," the other young man said. "You have to be careful."

"I-I will," Yun Hao said timidly. "A-are y-you t-two also p-participating?"

"Yes!" exclaimed the first one. "But don't worry, Little Bro. If we're matched, we'll definitely go easy on you."

The other purple-clothed youth nodded.

They kept talking. Through their conversation, Yun Hao learned that almost every school and sect had brought more than one disciple to compete. Aside from Azure Cloud City, there was only one power had brought just one disciple, the Azure Lightning School.

Yun Hao had heard of the Azure Lightning School many times in the past. It was the strongest school in the Azure Province. Zhang Yong had told him they were the most likely to win the tournament.

Before long, they reached the stage. Once everyone was there, they all drew lots.

Yun Hao, due to his size and age, drew a lot of attention, especially when he drew his lot. Most likely, everyone had been thinking that he had only gone there to spectate, but that made them realize he was actually participating.

Once everyone had their number, the referee walked onto the stage, and the tournament officially began.

Yun Hao was having a hard time containing his excitement. Although he had spared with Zhang Yong many times in the past, he was about to experience his first _real_ fight.

The referee called the numbers one and two. A moment later, two young men jumped onto the stage. The referee stepped back, and the battle began. It didn't take long before one of them was knocked out. After announcing the winner, the referee called two other numbers.

To Yun Hao's surprise, one of them was actually the lot he had drawn. He glanced at Zhang Yong, who nodded at him.

The maid, who had remained silent up until this point, knelt down next to him and whispered, "Show them why you're called the Little Devil of Azure Tiger City, Young Master."

Yun Hao had to suppress his smirk. "I will," he whispered back.

Even though his opponents were older than him, that didn't mean he couldn't play around a little, did it?

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**A/N: **If you have anything you'd like to see in this story, or ideas you'd like to share (or complaints, or things you _don't_ want to see), feel free to send me a PM. Although I won't necessarily implement every idea I receive, I'll definitely consider all of them.


	3. Chapter 2

****Disclaimer:**** I don't own Against the Gods, Martial God Asura, I Shall Seal the Heavens, Martial World, or any other series/novel/story that may appear in this story. They all belong to their respective owners.

**A/N: **I've changed the title to Against the Heavens.

**Beta-reader**: Godzero.

**Proofreader**: KingZarc.

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**Chapter 2**

* * *

**I**

Yun Hao glared at his opponent—a twenty-something, long-haired young man that was almost twice his size, clad in a red robe that barely fit him. He concentrated, feeling his opponent's cultivation base: the fifth level of Essence Gathering.

Just as Yun Hao inspected the young man, the young man inspected him. He frowned, and Yun Hao could guess why. He was using a talisman that obscured his cultivation base.

"Look, kid," the young man said. "I'll keep this simple. We both know you aren't going to win, so why don't you just forfeit?"

Yun Hao blinked. He shook his head timidly and looked down. "I… I want to fight."

The young man's frown deepened. Yun Hao understood the situation his opponent was in—even if the young man won, he would only be someone who beat up a kid. If he lost, it'd be even worse. No matter what happened, this wouldn't end well for him. He was probably cursing his luck right now.

"Come on," he said, a little more forcefully. "Don't be difficult. Just step off the stage."

"No," Yun Hao said stubbornly.

The tall youth groaned, massaging his forehead. After a moment, true essence began to build up around him as he released some of his aura. His true essence quickly turned into an intangible pressure that bore down on Yun Hao, trying to scare him away.

"No!" Yun Hao ground his teeth; he trembled, but, while sweating and looking visibly strained, managed to remain standing.

"Oh, dammit."

Groaning again, the long-haired man stepped closer, sending a casual punch toward Yun Hao. The air around his fists shimmered, vibrating with true essence, which coalesced into the phantom image of a tiger's head. With an inaudible roar, the essence-born phantom bore down at Yun Hao.

It was a weak attack, with barely any strength behind it; the youth probably wanted to have Yun Hao panic and forfeit.

"Ah!" Seemingly afraid, Yun Hao turned around hurriedly, as if to run away; as he did so, however, his feet got caught in the hem of his robe; losing his balance, he stumbled down helplessly, and the phantom attack flew past him harmlessly.

Silence followed, and then some of the spectators started laughing. All of the matches so far had been serious. Yun Hao's antics were livening up the atmosphere.

Seemingly disoriented, Yun Hao stood up again and, while trembling, turned to face his opponent.

"I..." The youth stared at Yun Hao in disbelief. Then, he scowled. He stepped forward and attacked again, this time channeling considerably more true essence into his attack, greatly increasing its speed, range, and intensity. Once again, faced with the phantom tiger, Yun Hao paled, turned around and tried to run; just like the last time, his foot got caught in his robe and he stumbled forward. However, instead of falling down, he staggered a few feet to the left, as if he was trying to regain his balance, and in the process he once more managed to evade the attack.

The youth blinked, his jaw slack.

"You can't be serious..."

The onlookers were just as stunned. More laughs followed.

Zhang Yong only shook his head, a small smile on his face.

"What the hell..." The seventeen-year-old young man shook his head and took in a deep breath. After a moment, as if he had made his decision, he attacked again, this time using all his power. Crying out, he took several steps forward, cocking his fist back as far as he could. A cluster of true essence revolved around his hand and arm, ready to explode. With a shout, he thrust out his fist, and a massive phantom of a tiger appeared—three times the size of the previous phantoms and full-bodied, as opposed to just the face.

This time, Yun Hao didn't run. The attack had too much true essence and that made it quick—too quick. If he tried to turn around, by the time he was done, the attack would already be upon him. Since that wasn't an option, he decided to use a different method. Clenching his fists, he faced it head on. As the tiger's phantom was about to reach him, however, the color fled from Yun Hao's face, and his legs suddenly trembled, as if they had lost their strength. Yun Hao unceremoniously dropped to the floor like a sack of stones, and the attack missed him by a hair's breadth—again.

Unbeknownst to his opponent and the spectators, as Yun Hao fell to the floor, a white piece of paper fell from one of his pockets. Because the stage was white, the paper blended perfectly with the floor, and nobody noticed it.

Three more attacks followed, and Yun Hao ended up dodging them all in similar ways.

By now Yun Hao's opponent was enraged. Cursing, he threw himself at Yun Hao, revolving his true essence to the limit as he tried all sorts of different attacks. He seemed to have ceased to care about his public image, as if the only thing that mattered was landing a hit.

Yun Hao was immersed in a flurry of punches, kicks, and jabs. All sorts of attacks were thrown at him, unceasingly, one after the other, each and every one of them fueled by both ire and true essence.

And they were all met by ridiculous, "accidental" dodges.

At one point, one of the spectators quite loudly raised the possibility that the tall youth just sucked at aiming, which made him even more enraged, leading him to attacking with even more vigor.

This went on for over ten minutes as Yun Hao managed to evade all sorts of punches, kicks, and lunges by tripping, slipping, and stumbling.

In this process, the red-robed young man, which had been casting offensive techniques nonstop, completely burned through his true essence reserves, whereas Yun Hao, who had been dodging everything with minimal movement, remained in peak condition.

"I… will… kill… you..."

Gasping for breath, the tall youth had to stop for a moment to catch his breath after sending another attack toward Yun Hao—who obviously dodged.

Judging that his enemy was almost devoid of true essence—and seeing where he was standing—Yun Hao decided that it was time to go on the offensive. Surprising everyone, instead of waiting for the next attack, as he had been doing so far, he ran forward, pulling back his fist, evidently going for a punch.

The red-robed young man, surprised and haggard, took a few steps backward—only to slip on the piece of paper Yun Hao had dropped at the beginning of the match. Even as his opponent slipped down, Yun Hao tripped; he started tumbling forward at an even greater speed, and his fist ended up planting itself into his opponent's groin area.

Everyone, seeing that scene, froze for a second.

And then the red-robed youth's shrill, hitch-pitched scream pierced through the air. Yun Hao rolled himself away and got up, feigning confusion.

By the time Yun Hao was back on his feet, his opponent had already passed out due to the pain.

"You..." The proctor stepped onto the stage and, after glancing back and forth between him and the unconscious young man a few times, smiled awkwardly and announced Yun Hao as the winner.

"I… won?" Faking disbelief, Yun Hao shakily returned to Zhang Yong's side and, because he knew that everyone was still looking at him, timidly asked if he had done well.

Zhang Yong only laughed and ruffled Yun Hao's hair playfully. Bashfully, Yun Hao, as if wanting to escape from the onlookers' attention, burrowed himself in Zhang Yong's robes.

Yun Hao participated in five more matches. He won them all the same way: "unintentionally" dodging incoming attacks by a hair's breadth and clumsily but somehow efficiently making his own attacks.

Quarter-finals, semi-finals…

Before long, Yun Hao found himself in the finals.

By that point, even Yun Hao was surprised. He hadn't expected that his act would carry him all the way to the last match of the tournament. Zhang Yong had told him that though most of his opponents wouldn't give him much of a fight, he'd still come across some powerful people. Now, Yun Hao couldn't help but wonder whether his adoptive father had been grossly underestimating him or grossly overestimating the so-called core disciples of the Azure Province.

After stepping onto the stage, Yun Hao stared at his opponent—a seventeen-year-old, blue-robed boy from the Azure Lightning School, which was famous for being the most powerful school in the province.

Looking at the teenager before him, Yun Hao had a feeling that he'd have to get serious for once. He couldn't see his opponent's cultivation base, which meant that he either had a similar talisman or was at a much higher level than he was. The former wouldn't be an issue, but if it was the latter there was a chance Yun Hao could end up losing the duel.

And he had reason to believe it was the latter. The youth from the Azure Lightning School, like Yun Hao, had won all of his matches—however, _unlike _Yun Hao, he had completely dominated all of his opponents so far. All of his duels had ended in seconds, and they were all either knockouts or ring-outs. He was clearly on a different level from the rest of the competition.

Yun Hao clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling his heart rate rise and true essence revolve inside him. For the first time, his anxiousness wasn't an act.

After glancing at the two of them, the proctor announced the beginning of the match.

The disciple of the Azure Lightning School wasn't stupid. By this point, it was already clear to everyone that Yun Hao couldn't have won through pure luck alone. He was clearly hiding something, and the blue-robed teenager evidently didn't want to take any chances.

Yun Hao, on the other hand, was determined to keep his act up until the very last moment. He had kept it up so far because, if he came across a difficult opponent, he wanted to take him by surprise and win—and it seemed like he had finally come across the difficult opponent he had had in mind.

The young man initiated their duel by sending out a few probing attacks, slashing and hacking with his sword. Like before, Yun Hao managed to dodge them all. After evading twenty or so attacks, Yun Hao finally saw an opening in his opponent's defense. Without a moment of hesitation, he released his power and launched himself forward, the tiles beneath his feet shattering due to the force. Like an arrow, he zipped through the arena, appearing before his opponent almost instantaneously.

The young man blinked, shocked. Yun Hao's aura, which had been hidden before, was now exploding out of him, revealing that he was actually at the third level of the Essence Gathering realm.

The spectators held their breaths. As Yun Hao's punch was about to make contact, the blue-robed youth suddenly smiled and released his own power.

Zhang Yong, who had been paying close attention to the duel, drew in a sharp breath.

The disciple from the Azure Lightning School was at the first level of Essence Refining—almost an entire realm above Yun Hao.

Effortlessly, the young man blocked Yun Hao's attack. Before he could follow up with a counterattack, Yun Hao jumped backwards, leaping into the air, and opened up some distance between them. He landed on all fours, like a cat. As he stood up again, all traces of innocence and naivety fled from his face, replaced by sharpness.

"You did well in pretending so far." The disciple from the Azure Lightning School chuckled. "I must admit, you almost took me by surprise."

Yun Hao smiled wryly. "But it didn't work."

The young man shrugged, as if that was beside the point. "It was a good ploy." He straightened himself and brushed the dust off his robe. "Regardless, what will you do now? You should know the difference in level between us. While I must admit the concentration of your true essence is unusually thick, and you seem to have quite a lot of experience in fighting—to the point that I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to match to someone several levels above you—you should know that the difference between realms cannot easily be crossed."

"I agree." With a nod of his head, Yun Hao fell into the fighting stance Zhang Yong had taught him. "But that doesn't mean it's impossible."

"Well said," the youth replied, seeming genuinely entertained. "I'll indulge you, then."

With that, the air around the blue-robed young man shimmered. Over two dozen swords appeared around him, floating mid-air. From their hilts ran thin threads of lightning that connected them to the youth's body. The flying swords swirled around him, dancing in the air.

"Show me what you can do."


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Against the Gods, Martial God Asura, I Shall Seal the Heavens, Martial World, or any other series/novel/story that may appear in this story. They all belong to their respective owners.

**Proofreader:** King Zarc.

* * *

**Chapter 3  
**

* * *

**I**

"That's enough, Yun Hao."

Yun Hao, who had been readying himself for his first real fight, stilled. Zhang Yong's voice rang loudly in his head, and it was firm—a command. Frowning, Yun Hao glanced at the audience out the corner of his eyes, searching for his adoptive father. He found Zhang Yong was staring at him, his arms crossed, over his chest, a severe expression on his face—the one that he only wore when he wanted to get a point across.

Yun Hao breathed in sharply. It seemed like his father wouldn't be going back on his decision.

"Forfeit the match." Zhang Yong's voice rang once more in his head, carried over through true essence. The man himself was as still as a statue, his eyes still locked onto him. "You've already done more than enough. We've already achieved what we came here to do. There's no point in continuing the fight anymore."

Yun Hao ground his teeth. He should've expected something like this, in hindsight. The disciple from the Azure Lightning School was looking at him expectantly, one eyebrow raised. The flying swords around him had grown still. It looked like his opponent could tell that something was going on, so he was giving Yun Hao time to sort it out.

Yun Hao was annoyed. He couldn't remember ever being this annoyed before. This wasn't fair—not at all. This was fight was his. He knew he could win—and he was sure Zhang Yong knew it too. Sure, it wouldn't be easy, but he could definitely do it.

"I know what you're thinking," Zhang Yong said again. His voice had softened by a fraction. "Yun Hao, your surprise attack failed. Had it worked I'd have said nothing, but it didn't, so you must give up now. There's no point in exposing you to necessary risk. I know you could win, but you'd exhaust yourself and, if you're not careful, you can even end up killing your opponent. Just forfeit. I know you don't want to, but it's for the best."

Yun Hao trembled, his hands clenching into fists. He stared at his opponent, who now had a puzzled look on his face, and bit his lips, unwilling. He hated when Zhang Yong did this. He couldn't argue back. Only cultivators at the third stage could send messages through true essence.

He considered his options. If he tried to continue the fight, Zhang Yong would probably convince the City Lord to annul the match. It'd be even worse if Zhang Yong decided not to interfere, because, even if he won, he had a feeling his adoptive father would decide he was too immature to enter a school and he'd be forced to return to their city.

No matter how he looked at it, he'd have to forfeit. Reaching that conclusion, Yun Hao sighed, begrudgingly accepting this outcome. He looked at the referee who stood beside the stage and said, "I give up."

The referee started, and then he frowned. "Are you certain?"

"Yes," Yun Hao said curtly. He wasn't in the mood for speaking.

The referee's frown deepened. Although he clearly seemed to find the situation strange, the referee jumped onto the stage and announced that the disciple from the Azure Lightning School had won the tournament.

"A pity," said Yun Hao's opponent, shaking his head. He didn't look happy at all despite his victory. If anything, he seemed to have an idea of what had just happened. "I was looking forward to a good fight."

Yun Hao couldn't agree with him more. Alas, he could only shake his head sadly. At the end of the day, he knew that Zhang Yong was right. He had come here to draw the attention of the schools in the region, and he had done so already. Winning the tournament wouldn't really change anything. But that didn't mean he was happy with how it turned out.

They jumped out of the stage, and to Yun Hao's surprise, the disciple from the Azure Lightning School followed him, instead of returning to his group.

"You're not a student of any school, are you?" he asked, looking at Yun Hao curiously.

"No," Yun Hao said, confused, wondered what he was getting at.

The older cultivator nodded his head as if he had just confirmed his doubts. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you came here in order to get accepted into one. Am I wrong?"

"That's right," Yun Hao admitted.

"I see," he said, smiling. "I'm Han Yifan. I believe you'll receive a letter from my school soon."

With that, he turned around and left.

Yun Hao watched him silently.

"What did he say?" Zhang Yong's voice came from behind him.

Yun Hao glanced back and saw his adoptive father walking over. Although he was still pissed at Zhang Yong, this wasn't the time for an outburst.

"It seems like the Azure Lightning School will send me an invitation."

Zhang Yong smiled. "I'm not surprised. I doubt any of the powers here would miss the opportunity to send you one."

"Should I accept?" Yun Hao asked, looking up. The Azure Lightning School was the strongest in the province. It seemed like a good choice. He also had a good impression of Han Yifan.

"Maybe. The Azure Lightning School is indeed the strongest one, but there are some that come close, and they might offer something better. Let's wait to see what comes up."

Yun Hao agreed with him.

Together, they left the courtyard, for the guest rooms the City Lord of Azure Tiger City had arranged for them.

**II**

Zhang Yong's prediction had been spot-on. By the end of the following day, every school, sect, and clan in the province had sent invitation letters, some of them even sending envoys to invite Yun Hao personally.

Despite being only ten years old, Yun Hao was already at the third level of the Essence Gathering realm and had fighting skills that easily surpassed his level, easily defeating cultivators many years his senior. Without a doubt, talent-wise, nobody in the Azure Province could match him.

Word of it traveled fast. Even some of the neighboring provinces had sent letters over.

After a lot of thought, Zhang Yong and Yun Hao decided to go with the Heavenly Might School. Although it hadn't participated in the tournament, it was second only to the Azure Lightning School, and it was known for offering their most prized disciples a great number of cultivation resources while neglecting their weaker disciples—which would definitely benefit Yun Hao.

Soon, the powers that had participated in the tournament began to leave. Before Han Yifan left, he visited Yun Hao, and although he seemed sad his invitation had been refused, he told him he'd be welcome at his school at any time, and that he was looking forward to meeting him again in the future.

Before long, the people of the Heavenly Might School arrived.

**III**

"Make sure to behave," Zhang Yong said. The carriage sent by the Heavenly Might School was outside, waiting for Yun Hao.

"I will," Yun Hao promised.

"I'm serious. If you end up killing anyone, I won't be able to help you."

Yun Hao chuckled. "Don't worry, Dad. That won't happen again."

"Good. Make sure to visit, too. At least once every few years. And, if you ever find yourself in trouble—"

"Come back home right away," Yun Hao completed the sentence. "I know."

There was no way he wouldn't know. Zhang Yong had repeated that sentence over a hundred times today alone.

Just as he was turning around to leave, Zhang Yong put a hand on his shoulder.

"Be careful," his adoptive father advised, completely serious this time. "Pride is worth nothing compared to your life. Don't fight battles you can't win."

Yun Hao stilled. He nodded somberly, seeing that his father was serious now. "I'll keep that in mind."

Moments later, he was in the carriage, and, before long, Azure Tiger City disappeared behind them. The Heavenly Might School had sent over two elders and two disciples to greet him. They all wore smiles as they told him what the school was like and how he had made a great choice in picking them.

The Heavenly Might School was located at the northernmost area of the province, right beside the border it shared with the Blue Wind Nation, whereas Azure Tiger City was located at the exact center. One of the elders informed Yun Hao that it'd take three days or so to arrive there.

**IV**

They were only hours away from the school. Yun Hao found himself growing increasingly excited. He had spent all of his life in Zhang Yong's mansion. For the first time, he was alone, and, despite the dangers, he couldn't help but look forward to his new life.

He hadn't joined a school solely to procure better techniques and cultivation resources. Had that been the only reason, no doubt Zhang Yong would've been able to figure something out.

Yun Hao wanted to see the world. He had grown up reading tales of cultivators who'd wander the world, slay demons, discover treasures, and charm beauties, and he had always wanted to experience all of that. While he did love his adoptive father and the people back at the mansion, he couldn't handle that life anymore. He wanted to have his own adventure, to live his own tale.

He had to admit that he was a bit young for that—only ten-years-old—but he had always been different from other children his age. While he did look like a child, there were very few people in the younger generation who could match him in a fight. He wasn't naive, either. Had it not been for that, he doubted Zhang Yong would have allowed him to enter a school.

"We're almost there, Junior Brother," said one of the disciples who was sitting next to him. A seventeen-year-old boy, with long black hair and gentle eyes. "Soon, we'll—"

The carriage suddenly shook. Yun Hao started, feeling true essence build up around him. The two elders immediately rose to their feet, drawing their weapons.

And then the disciple next to Yun Hao screamed. Startled, Yun Hao jumped away from him. The tip of a sword was sticking out of his chest. The air behind him was shimmering.

"Assassins!" one of the elders cried out, while the other grabbed Yun Hao by the arm, bringing him close.

"Stick with me," said the elder who grabbed him. He was a middle-aged man, with short black hair and a stern face. From what Yun Hao managed to find out during their trip, this elder was considerably stronger than the other one. "Don't panic. I'll keep you safe."

He then struck out with his palm. True essence exploded in front of him in the shape of a massive golden palm, destroying one of the sides of the carriage. Without wasting a moment, he grabbed Yun Hao and the remaining two disciples and took them outside. Yun Hao heard screams and shouts coming from the carriage.

Before the elder could take him far, however, the air before them shimmered, and a dark-cloaked man appeared.

"Hand over the child," the man demanded coolly, "and you'll be spared."

The elder scoffed. He raised his sword toward the assassin. "You think I'm afraid?"

The dark-cloaked man frowned. There was something strange about his face. His features were plain, but they seemed artificial, if not fake.

An illusion, Yun Hao realized.

"Don't be a fool. Hand over the child."

"He's a disciple from my Heavenly Might School," the elder said, standing his ground. A thick layer of true essence was covering his body, and some of it was starting to spread to Yun Hao and the other two disciples as if to protect them as well. "You're not taking him anywhere."

"So be it."


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Against the Gods, Martial God Asura, I Shall Seal the Heavens, Martial World, or any other series/novel/story that may appear in this story. They all belong to their respective owners.

**Beta reader: **Godzero.

**Proofreader:** King Zarc.

* * *

**Chapter 4  
**

* * *

**I**

The fight began. The elder immediately struck out with his palm, transforming his true essence into a giant, flying hand that shot toward the assassin. Faced with the elder's attack, the assassin summoned a sword and struck the incoming hand, which shattered.

Yun Hao glanced at the disciples next to him. They were both trembling, watching the battle with wide eyes. Yun Hao couldn't blame them; he knew he looked the same way. He gulped, trying to pay attention to both the battle to the direction where they had come from—where the carriage was—in order to make sure no new enemies would arrive.

The fight wasn't a short one. The elder attacked without holding anything back, throwing out several golden hands, while the assassin almost effortlessly blocked all of those attacks with his sword. The more Yun Hao watched, the more he realized that something was wrong. Both the assassin and the elder seemed to be at the Essence Transformation stage, the fourth stage of cultivation, but Yun Hao had a feeling that the assassin was holding back. Not only that, he had felt the assassin's gaze fall on him several times throughout the battle, as if he was looking for an opportunity to get to him without having to harm the elder.

Yun Hao ground his teeth. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the assassin managed to kill him.

He had to do something.

But what?

He surveyed his surroundings. To his right was the carriage, while to his left was a forest. He furrowed his brow, trying to come up with a plan.

A gasp of pain made him return his attention to the battle. The elder was panting now, a bloody wound on his left shoulder, while the assassin was unharmed and breathing normally.

It wasn't hard to tell from whom the gasp had come.

"Dammit," Yun Hao cursed.

No matter how he looked at it, there was nothing he could do. He definitely wouldn't be of any help against the assassin, nor could he outrun him.

There was no other way out.

He'd have to resort to that.

Yun Hao shuddered. He didn't want to do it.

Not again.

But he had no choice.

He clenched his fists. He couldn't help but think of the last time he did that—of how awful it was. He stood there, trembling, hesitating. He should've listened to Zhang Yong, he thought. He shouldn't have joined the sect. But he couldn't change the past.

He had to do it.

Now that he had made his decision, Yun Hao hesitated no more. He looked at the disciples near him and nodded to himself. At the very least, he didn't want to get them involved. Returning his attention to the battle, he saw that the elder was already on the verge of collapse.

Yun Hao turned around and made for the forest. He channeled true essence into his legs and feet—as much as he could—and sped forward. He could feel his muscles tearing apart, his bones cracking due to the pressure, but he paid it no mind. It didn't matter. He just had to get as far away as possible.

He broke into the forest. He didn't stop for even a moment. He didn't dodge or change his course. He just kept running forward, and whatever came into his way, he destroyed with blasts of true essence. His feet were barely touching the ground anymore. Pain—unimaginable pain—surged up from his legs. They cried for him to stop, but he paid them no mind.

Farther. He had to go farther. As much as he could.

But it didn't take long before his running was cut short.

"Stop," a voice called out from behind him. A man's voice.

The assassin's voice.

Yun Hao abruptly came to a halt. His entire body was trembling. Blood ran down from his nose due to the effort. Trembling, he turned around to face the assassin, who stood only a few feet away, a sword in his hand.

"I'm sorry, kid," the assassin said, shaking his head. He then struck with his sword, stabbing into Yun Hao's chest.

Yun Hao did nothing. There was no point in resisting. He could feel the sword dig into him, pierce into his heart. He glanced down at the blade buried in his body, and then returned his attention to the assassin, who looked at him with pity.

"You shouldn't have joined the Heavenly Might School," the assassin said.

Yun Hao said nothing. He could feel his consciousness fading, the life fleeing his body. And he could feel its presence, growing larger, wrapping around his consciousness, drawing him in, comforting him, engulfing him.

"Leave the rest to me, my darling," said a voice.

It wasn't the assassin's. No, no man—no human—could produce a voice like so.

It was sweet, soft. It embraced him like a blanket of velvet. The pain was gone, and so was the exhaustion. Slowly he felt himself disappear.

Yun Hao closed his eyes, losing himself in the sweet relief of nothingness, embraced by oblivion.

**II**

The assassin sighed, watching as the target closed his eyes. He could feel the life in the child's body slowly dimming.

Indeed, the child.

The assassin frowned, studying his child's face. He was—what? Ten years old? Not even a teenager yet.

The assassin had never liked his job, but moments like this made him loathe it. It disgusted him to have to kill children, but he had no other choice. This was his job, and once an order was given, he had to follow through with it, regardless of the target.

He sighed and pulled back his sword.

Or, at least, he tried to.

He found that he couldn't. There was something holding the sword in place. Wide-eyed, the assassin realized that the child, who should've been dead, had used some of his hands to hold the sword in place, directly grabbing the blade.

The assassin started. The child was dead. He was sure that there was no life yet in his body. But there he was, holding onto his sword.

"What—"

The child's eyes opened, and the assassin shuddered.

Those weren't the eyes of a child.

He gulped.

Those weren't the eyes of a human.

They were entirely black, like bottomless pits.

The assassin didn't hesitate. He let go of his sword and jumped backward, putting some distance between them.

He stared at the child, who stood there motionless, black eyes watching him. His heart hammered against his chest. This had never happened before, and no matter how he tried to look at it, he could feel no life, or even true essence, coming from the child. It was as if he had no presence at all, as if he didn't exist.

He could only watch in shock as the child slowly straightened his back and pulled the sword off his chest, letting it drop onto the ground. Through the gaps in the child's robe, the assassin saw that instead of a gaping wound, the child's chest had a large, black mass covering it.

"What are you?" the assassin asked, cautious, revolving his true essence inside him, ready to escape at any moment.

The child kept staring at him, silent.

And then the child smiled.

His lips parted, naturally stretching, showing all of his teeth and then some more, to the point of tearing the skin.

And then the child laughed.

It was a scratchy, grating sound, varying in pitch, at times high, at times low.

The assassin decided that had seen enough. He had to leave, the job be damned. He tried to rise into the skies, but it was at that moment that he realized that he couldn't move.

There was some sort of unseen force locking him in place.

The child's laughing stopped abruptly. He was frowning.

"You think you can leave?" the child asked. His voice didn't match his body. It was a woman's voice, lilting.

The child walked closer. The assassin tried to speak, but he found that he couldn't even move his mouth. Horrified, he could only tremble as the child approached. Before long, they were only a few feet apart.

"No one," the child said, staring into the assassin's eyes, "can harm my darling."

The child's hand latched onto the assassin's neck.

And then the assassin knew hell.

**III**

Even before Yun Hao opened his eyes, he was assaulted by the metallic, numbing smell of blood.

Then he opened his eyes, and he saw carnage.

Blood was everywhere. It covered the ground and trees, not leaving even a single spot unmarked. Entrails and pieces of flesh marred the ground.

Yun Hao immediately closed his eyes. He knew to whom all that blood had belonged. He shuddered, gagging. Unable to contain himself, he bent over and retched.

He was used to death. When he was seven, Zhang Yong had had him kill a convicted prisoner. Cultivators couldn't hesitate when it came to killing. They had to be ruthless.

But this was no simple case of death. This was carnage. This was a massacre.

This was pure, raw evil.

Once his stomach had settled, Yun Hao hesitated no more. He stood up, shaking, and walked further into the forest, not daring to look behind him even once. He couldn't help but notice that there wasn't even a drop of blood on his clothes.

As he walked, he checked his chest and saw that, where the sword had stabbed him, there was a black, pulsing scar. From his experience, he knew that not even a day from now, it'd disappear, leaving behind unblemished skin.

Yun Hao kept walking. He wasn't sure exactly where he was going. He thought it was in the direction of the Heavenly Might School, but he wasn't too sure. He couldn't be bothered to be sure. He could hardly be bothered to think.

The nothingness that had engulfed him before still lingered in his mind, clouding his thoughts, calling back to him. He tried to ignore it. He knew better than to give in.

He had to avoid letting that out as much as possible.

That.

Yun Hao shuddered.

His secret. His sin.

He had long since taken to calling it The Demon. The Demon had always been with him, and not even Zhang Yong knew about it. Yun Hao couldn't even bring himself to think about it for too long. It brought back many—too many—memories he had tried to bury, and now it brought him no small amount of pain to know that he had another one to add to the collection.

Yun Hao ground his teeth, shaking his head, and tried to clear his mind. But no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts strayed back to The Demon's sweet, melodious voice, and to the carnage he had just seen.

So he walked to distract himself. He inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled. He forced himself into distraction. Left foot forward, right foot forward. Left, right, inhale, exhale. Before long he lost himself in the act of walking.

As long as he was lost, as long as he couldn't think, he'd know peace.

The sun rose to the peak, before making its descent. The hours slipped away. Yun Hao didn't notice. He kept walking, and walking, and walking—until he realized that he couldn't see anymore.

Night had fallen.

Yun Hao looked around and saw absolutely nothing. The forest was eerily silent.

He felt like he should be afraid, but he was still too affected by The Demon to care. Shrugging, he kept walking, aimlessly.

To his surprise, a while later, he saw a light shining in the distance.

At first he thought it was a campfire, but as he grew closer he realized it was too constant to and white to be cast by flames.

It came from a cave.

Unhesitatingly, Yun Hao entered the cave. Now that he was this close, he could feel a light, subtle tugging, as if there was something in the cave calling out to him.

He focused onto that pulling sensation and didn't let go. If anything, it was something he could distract himself with.

He walked further into the cave.

The light grew brighter and, before long, he found himself standing before its source.

Floating mid-air before him was a bright, white, round object, roughly the size of an apple, surrounded by a faint green fog.


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Against the Gods, Martial God Asura, I Shall Seal the Heavens, Martial World, or any other series/novel/story that may appear in this story. They all belong to their respective owners.

**Beta reader: **Godzero.

**Proofreader:** King Zarc.

* * *

**Chapter 5  
**

* * *

**I**

"A pearl?"

Yun Hao furrowed his brow. As attractive as the strange, floating pearl was, Yun Hao managed to fight back the urge to approach it. Before Yun Hao left, Zhang Yong had preached for days about the importance of caution—and right now Yun Hao couldn't help but notice how suspicious the pearl that hovered before him was.

However, it didn't take long before he realized that the more he stared at it, the more the strange, pulling sensation he felt grew. He tried looking away—and, when that didn't work, he closed his eyes, but that only made the sensation stronger. Panicking, he attempted to turn around and leave, but by that point his legs were no longer listening to him.

He could only watch, torn between desire and terror, as he walked toward the pearl, his legs moving on their own.

Now the pearl was less than a feet away from him. The pulling sensation screamed at him, urging him to take it, to claim it. But he forced himself to stop. This was too strange, too eerie. He couldn't give in. He had to fight back. He had to—

Yun Hao blinked.

—he had to touch the pearl. He reached forward and grabbed it. He stared at its surface. Perfectly smooth, unblemished, clear. Some of the green fog that rolled out of it seeped into his body—where it touched became numb, then warm, and he slowly felt all of his pains, all of his soreness, leave him, drift away, disappear, as if none of it had ever existed.

He stared at the pearl, and he felt as if it stared back at him. Yun Hao smiled, his eyes bright. Now that he held it in his hands, the urge from before hadn't disappeared. Instead, it had transformed. This time, he felt as if he should eat the pearl. Swallow it, taste it.

He felt that was strange—why would he eat something like that?—but at the same time, he had to admit that it did look delicious, in a strange, curious way. He brought it closer to his eyes, to his mouth, thinking, considering, pondering. He wondered what it tasted like.

But should he eat it?

He looked at the pearl. It was so close to his mouth now. Surely something so clear, so pure, wouldn't be bad for him.

He parted his lips and placed the pearl on top of his tongue. He rolled it around his mouth, but before he could fully taste it, he felt the pearl suddenly roll down his tongue and into his throat.

Moments later he felt an soft jump in his belly—the pearl had reached his stomach.

And that was when the pain came. It flared up inside him. The pain didn't bother building itself up—it hit him in full force, and he immediately fell to his knees, screaming. It was as if he was melting, as if he was being torn apart.

Inside his body, the pearl was slowly turning into that green mist from before, filling his stomach. Once it had fully transformed into its gaseous state, the pearl-turned-mist spread throughout his body and began to seep into his bones, organs, and blood, until it had fully assimilated into him.

While that happened, the pain only grew more and more intense. He rolled around the floor of the cave, writhing, twisting, screaming and crying. While he was no longer under the pulling, hypnotic effect of the pearl, the pain he was in was too great for him to think clearly.

Only once the pearl had completely fused with him did the pain disappear—and just like when it came, it did so suddenly, vanishing as if it had never been there.

Yun Hao gasped for breath. He was lying on the ground, trying to calm to himself down. Eventually, he regained control of his body. With some effort, he managed to clear his mind and focus. Right now, he needed to ascertain whether he had been harmed in any way.

He channeled his true essence, planning on using it to inspect his body, but when he did so he immediately discovered a change—he was now at the fifth level of the Essence Gathering stage.

"Fifth?" Yun Hao blinked, shocked. He checked again, but no matter how he looked at it, the amount of true essence in his body had increased considerably. As hard as he found it to believe, the pearl had clearly raised his cultivation base by two levels.

While he was still trying to wrap his head around what had happened, he suddenly heard a voice.

"The Sky Poison Pearl," the voice said. It was genderless and ancient and clear.

Yun Hao looked around, wary and shocked. There was nobody else in the cave, however. It took him a moment before he realized that the voice was speaking directly into his mind. "It's ranked fifth among the seven Heavenly Profound Treasures. It features a limitless inner space, the ability to counteract all poisons, the power to refine all ingredients, and the conditions for growing any plant. Its other features include, but aren't limited to, finding treasures and concocting poisons.

"Now that the assimilation process is over, the Sky Poison Pearl has become one with you, its owner. Unless you it wish so, the two of you can never be separated, nor can your bond be broken."

The voice then proceeded to explain the abilities of the pearl it had listed earlier, as well as how to use them. Yun Hao's shock only grew greater and greater. Only after it had explained all of them did the voice disappearing, leaving Yun Hao panting, his eyes wide, his heart racing.

When the pain came, he had thought he had just doomed himself by swallowing the pearl, but if the voice was right…

Yun Hao drew in a deep breath and forced himself to sit up.

"I must test it first."

He thought of the Sky Poison Pearl's first ability: its so-called limitless inner space. According to the voice, within the pearl there was a massive—endless—inner world that could store anything. At the same time, it'd preserve the state of whatever was kept inside it. Medicine would never expire and corpses would never rot.

After a moment of hesitation, he closed his eyes—following the instructions the voice had provided—and imagined himself being teleported into another world while channeling his true essence. Almost immediately, a fit of dizziness came over him, almost rendering him unconscious. While that happened, the palm of his left hand, a small circle appeared, which gradually became more and more elaborate until it had turned into a perfect image of the Sky Poison Pearl, glowing with a faint green light.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was no longer inside the cave. Instead, he found himself somewhere bright—too bright to see anything. It took him a while to get used to the sudden change in lighting. But when he finally saw it, he gasped.

He was standing on a field of green grass, under a blue, cloudless sky. There was no sun; the light around him seemed to radiate from the sky itself, perfectly even. Bright green grass covered the ground, stretching in all directions, seemingly without end. There was no wind and the temperature was mild: it was neither too warm, nor too cold—in the perfect sweet spot between the two.

Aside from the grass and the sky, there was nothing to see there. He chose a direction at random and started walking. He kept at it until he was sure that it was exactly as advertised: this world had no end.

Even if he ignored the other functions of the Sky Poison Pearl, this inner dimension, alone, already left him breathless. What he was unsure of was what part of him entered the pearl: was it only his consciousness or his entire body? If it was the latter…

Yun Hao gulped.

Once he had finally calmed down, he recalled the method of leaving the Sky Poison Pearl—the voice from before had explained everything thoroughly. He closed his eyes and imagined himself back outside, visualizing the cave.

Once again, he felt an uncomfortable, nauseous sensation, as if his stomach had been turned over.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw that he had returned to the cave.

Now that the pearl was no longer there to act as a light source, he should've been shrouded in complete darkness, but to his surprise, he could actually see a little. When he looked down, he discovered the cause: there was a mark in the palm hand—an image of the pearl, as if it had been tattooed into his skin—glowing with a bright green light. Even as he stared at it, it gradually faded away, and the darkness returned.

"A Heavenly Profound Treasure," he murmured to himself, recalling the words the voice had said. He had never heard of that term before. To begin with, he hadn't ever heard of anything as powerful as the Sky Poison Pearl. He doubted even Zhang Yong would know about it.

He couldn't help but smile. He hadn't forgotten about what had happened earlier in the day—when he unleashed that thing—but that was already a faint, fraying memory; it had lost its ability to affect him.

Yun Hao decided to explore the rest of the cave. Since there had been something like the Sky Poison Pearl here, he wouldn't find it strange if he came across other things. Maybe he could even find some clues as to why it had appeared there. Had someone left it behind?

He channeled his true essence into his fingers and transformed it into a small sphere of light. This was a trick Zhang Yong taught him long ago, something that every cultivator had to know, and that wasn't only because of how useful it was. By creating a light source, he had to carefully control his true essence to make it even, stable—powerful enough to see, but not blinding. This was a method commonly used by fledgling cultivators to train their true essence.

As soon as he summoned the small sphere of light, the entire cave was bathed in a dim, comfortable light. However, even after he had searched it completely, he found nothing. Frowning, Yun Hao sat down again and returned to the inner world of the Sky Poison Pearl. He felt like there should have been at least one clue as to why something this precious had appeared in such a place.

He chose another direction and started walking again. Then another. Then another. Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly caught sight of a small, brown object in the distance. Feeling a surge of excitement, he ran over to it and, upon coming closer, realized that it was a map. He grabbed it. It wasn't made of paper, but leather. And it was worn-out. It took him a while before he realized that the map was actually showing the cave it was in, as well as the forest.

On one of the corners of the map was what seemed to be a splatter of blood. To his surprise, it was still warm and hadn't dried it, as if it had just fallen. That was when he remembered one of the properties of the pearl the voice had mentioned: everything that entered the Sky Poison Pearl's inner world would remain in the exact same condition it had been in the moment it entered.

After a moment of hesitation, he wiped the blood away and saw that it had been sitting on top top of a mountain range, which, according to the map, wasn't too far away from the forest he was in.

Yun Hao frowned, thinking. Only after some time had passed did he return the map to the ground and return outside.

For now, he needed to go to the Heavenly Might School.


End file.
